PANAJI
They may still account for a very small percentage in assembly, but women are beginning to take greater interest in politics in the State.
Women now account for as many as 25 of the 301 candidates at the polls and the assembly could witness a record number of women legislators should they go on to win at the elections.
While women voters outnumber the male voters in the State, their numbers in the assembly have been poor. In the outgoing assembly, there were only two women legislators, Alina Saldanha and Jennifer Monserrate.
In 1989, Shashikala Kakodkar and Farrel Furtado were the only women legislators while Victoria Fernandes served as MLA in 1994, 1999, 2002 and 2007.
The 1994 assembly polls had three women legislators, Victoria Fernandes, Fatima D’Sa and Nirmala Sawant, the maximum ever presence of women legislators in an assembly. Sawant and Fernandes went on to win in 1999 as well.Nirmala Sawant was also a minister.
This time, several women candidates are in the fray and they include Divya Rane of BJP (Poriem), Jennifer Monserrate of BJP and Cecille Rodrigues of AAP (Taleigao), Pratima Coutinho of AAP and Valanka Alemao of TMC (Navelim), Janita Madkaikar of BJP (Cumbharjua), Kavita Kandolkar of TMC (Tivim), Delilah Lobo of Congress (Siolim) and Savitri Kavlekar as independent (Quepem).
Other women candidates include Sunaina Gawade of AAP (Mandrem), Pallavi Dabholkar as independent (Siolim), Puja Mayenkar (Aldona) and Shila Ghatwal (Mayem).
